Source: Obama approves arming Syrian rebels

9:53 PM,
Jun. 13, 2013

President Obama

Written by

Aamer Madhani, Jim Michaels and Tom Vanden Brook
USA TODAY

The Obama administration announced Thursday that it has determined that the Syrian government has deployed chemical weapons against opposition groups, crossing what President Obama had called a "red line" and prompting him to provide direct support the Syrian groups for the first time.

While the White House stopped short of saying it would arm Syrian rebels, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said that the president has decided to step up "military support" to the main opposition group , the Supreme Military Council, to bolster its effectiveness.